


Family We Make

by AlabasterMoonbeam



Series: Plus Size Sara Ryder [8]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Anxiety, Bedtime Stories, Blow Jobs, Cheesecake, Cuddling, Depression, Embarrassment, Established Relationship, F/M, Flirting, Meet the Family, Mention of Mental Illness, Oral Sex, Post-sexy time cuddling, Smut, Swimming, Vaginal Fingering, Voyeurism, depression and anxiety, establishing a relationship, plus size
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 14:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10901688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlabasterMoonbeam/pseuds/AlabasterMoonbeam
Summary: In which Sara meets Jaal's family, the pair of them solidify their relationship, Sara becomes more anxious about Jaal, the crew goes swimming, Jaal continues to be a pervy little voyeur, SAM learns about mental illness, Sara and Jaal enjoy each other, Jaal really enjoys Sara, Sara really enjoys Jaal.





	Family We Make

**Author's Note:**

  * For [QuillEnvy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillEnvy/gifts).



> Gifted again to QuillEnvy because the last one was super short.
> 
> So, I apologize if you don't like that I gave Sara depression and anxiety. I felt that it was appropriate for many reasons, but mostly just because I have them and it sometimes helps to see the struggles you have being represented. Other than that, um, a lot happens in this one! Hope it all makes sense.
> 
> The story mentioned at the very end is from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.
> 
> Your comments feed my writerly soul and make me feel appreciated! XOXO

Meeting Jaal’s family was a trip. Upon entering the family home, Sara was greeted by a barrage of brothers, sisters, mothers/aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, each of them calling out to her, some patting her on the back, others teasing Jaal or she about human food. But the best part was before that: meeting Jaal’s True Mother, Sahuna. Sara had swallowed her own embarrassment and gone in for the hug right away. Now they were in Jaal’s room, his sanctuary. They were sitting on the bed, discussing how Jaal enjoyed taking things apart, learning from them, and gaining new insight. It was sweet, seeing Jaal like this; the intensity of his gaze from earlier replaced by a genuine look of learning.  
Sara’s mind wandered as Jaal moved some clutter away, returning to their time on Kadara. Thinking back, it was strange that Jaal had been on the Tempest, since she had only just then called everyone back. Why hadn’t Kallo said something to him, something to keep him from--Oh god! Sara blushed as she thought something that might be the undoing of her, what if Jaal had heard her? She didn’t remember being loud, but she did remember thinking of him as she brought herself to climax. Had she called his name out? Shaking her head, she saw Jaal’s face look concerned.  
“Sorry, Jaal, my mind was wandering, what did you say?” Sara felt terrible, concerned about having ignored Jaal.  
“Oh,” Jaal replied looking interested, “what were you thinking about?” Sara blushed deeply, “Uh, nothing much. Now, what were you showing me? Schematics, right?”  
Turning her attention to the box on Jaal’s lap, she saw the disembodied kett weapon along with the carcass of a kaerkyn in a container.  
“He died,” Jaal was explaining, “So I also took him apart.”  
“To...learn?” Sara tried to hide her slight revulsion. She wasn’t sure if it was endearing or disturbing.  
Setting the box down, Jaal spoke in an embarrassed tone, “I don’t show people these things.” His look was pleading, vulnerable.  
“I’m feeling pretty honored,” Sara gave a light chuckle. Was it just her, or was the air getting thick in the small room?  
“You… Sara, you make my heart sing. I have been enjoying getting to know you, getting to spend my time with you, and I’d like us to be together. Um, as a couple.” The vulnerability shone in his body language. Sara knew that Jaal was worried, terrified maybe, that she would turn out to be another Allia. She took a deep breath, her casual shirt shifting as she did.  
“Yeah, I’d like that.” She couldn’t say anything else because Jaal took her into his arms and swung her around, without care for her weight.  
“Yes!” He laughed, and so did Sara, before she told him to set her down.  
“But I like holding you.”  
“I-” Sara cleared her throat and didn’t look at Jaal, “I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Lifting me up, I mean. I just, I don’t want to hurt you.” Sara felt Jaal’s eyes searching her face, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment any more than she already had, so she leaned up and gave him a swift, delicate peck.

Jaal was nervous, especially after Sahuna tried to sell Sara on him by listing his qualifications as a mate. Plus, she or one of his family put the box containing the remains of the kett weapon and Alfit on his bed, trying to show how he learned for its intrinsic value. He could see Sara was lost in her thoughts, a delicate blush coloring her cheeks, before she realized he was showing Alfit to her. Whatever Sara was thinking about seemed interesting, but when she deflected Jaal just moved on. Working toward his declaration, Jaal set the box down and turned to Sara, laying his heart at her feet, and asked if she would be with him. His pulse pounded in his ears, knowing he had made a terrible mistake, that she had no desire for him (at this point, Jaal’s memory was spotty, given that she had kissed him and had climaxed thinking about him, but whatever!), and this would ruin their frie- “Yeah,” Sara’s voice broke into his spiralling thoughts, “I’d like that.”  
Jaal was so happy he couldn’t resist lifting her up, holding her to him. Then she was pushing against him, telling him to put her down, implying that she was somehow heavy or that he couldn’t handle picking her up.  
Where had that come from? She was perfect! Then she was on her tip-toes, kissing him softly, sweetly. Fleetingly. He was about to kiss her back, a deeper, more passionate kiss, when his brothers and sisters began banging on the door, insisting they come out for tea.  
***  
They were back on Kadara, checking out a possible settlement site with Reyes. Jaal never would understand why they brought him along or why Sara kept flirting with him. The current site had two largish ponds, finally clean since they had re-activated the vault, that were beckoning to the whole team to go swimming. Reyes seemed to understand this, and showed the whole crew a similar spot, but more secluded, where they might bathe and enjoy the clean water. Jaal was happy with this development and was one of the first into the water before seeing Sara sitting on the edge with Vetra, trailing her toes in the water. He was about to swim over, see if he could help, maybe steal more kisses from his girl, when Reyes swam up to him with Liam and Gil, inducing him to a game of modified water polo. The next time he looked, Sara was gone, and Vetra was finally sliding into the cool water.

Sara was sitting at the edge of the water, desperate to get in, but unwilling to divest herself of her clothes, not in front of any of the crew. Not in front of Jaal. She had been getting more comfortable, so where had all this embarrassment come from? Well, she knew. She was nervous now that Jaal said he cared for her. Her mind swam with what-ifs, mostly what if he woke up one day and realized that what he thought he wanted was surrounded by rolls, curves, cellulite, and sarcasm. Not an appealing package.  
So she dipped her toes in the water and wished for privacy. Vetra came and sat by her, chatting about nothing, before mentioning that she’d seen a small grotto, private, hidden, where Sara could swim without an audience. Rising to follow Vetra, Sara saw Jaal with Reyes, Liam, and Gil beginning to play some strange amalgamation of water polo. The grotto wasn’t far, still within ear and eye shot of the larger pools, but with a cropping of rocks that provided a bit of shelter. Sara quickly divested herself of her armor and underarmor, but kept her compression boyshorts on, along with her tank top. She knew once it was wet it wouldn’t matter, but she couldn’t bring herself to take it off and just go in her bra and shorts. It was her stomach that most mortified her. Rolls that dipped along the horizontal line that bisected her belly button, and another, just above her pubic area.  
Sitting in the cool water, her tank floating gently around her, Sara considered asking Lexi if there was anything she could do about her medications. She’d been taking antidepressants since she was 18, when she had finally become desperate to break away from the emotional upheavals she had felt her entire life. The only ongoing downside was that the drugs made it difficult, almost impossible, to lose weight. Mostly she didn’t care. But sometimes, sometimes she did. Sara wished she could be lithe and lethal like Cora, but in truth her body type was much different from the huntress’s. She knew that it was important what was inside, but just the other day a newly-thawed member of the Initiative had addressed Cora as the Pathfinder, and had to be convinced that the fat, short girl next to her was actually the one in charge. That had stung for both the women.  
“Sara,” SAM’s voice intoned on the private network, “You know that Jaal likes you exactly as you are. Otherwise he would never have asked you to be with him.”  
“Yeah,” Sara sighed, closing her eyes, “doesn’t change the feelings, though.”  
They were quiet for a while, listening to the rest of the crew splash and play, then SAM asked a question.  
“Alec did not have any mental illness, that I know of, but learning what you go through, how your mind works… does it bother you to know I can observe and feel this, too?”  
“No, SAM, it doesn’t. But it is just another thing I wish you didn’t have to deal with. Scott is able to manage his symptoms without medication, as was Mom. If you had been transferred to Scott you wouldn’t have to try to learn why my mind is so broken sometimes. It doesn’t seem fair to you.” Sara was quiet for a bit, then, “SAM… can you alter my brain chemistry? Could you do what the pills do, but without the side-effect of weight gain?”  
“No, Sara, I cannot,” for something that didn’t have a body or breath, SAM did a decent impression of a sigh, “I am sorry. I wish I could. Perhaps, one day, I will be able to. I would like that.” With that the AI went silent, and Sara finished her bath.

Jaal wanted to find Sara, tell her about the game, kiss her. He was walking around the rocks when he saw her, eyes closed, thin tank clinging to her breasts. Her back was arched as she rested in the water, her breath lifting her chest, the movement bringing her shirt up, down, up. Perhaps most distracting were her nipples. The buds were puckered with the chill of the water, tenting the fabric, and moving with her breathing, rippling the water around her. His own breath was hitching in his chest, and he was torn between launching himself onto her to suck and nibble the the small nubs, to tease cries of ecstasy from her mouth and going back around the rocks and making noise to alert her to his presence. He chose the latter, walking back far past the rocks, and calling out her name as he approached. He stopped well back, giving her time. As much as Jaal wanted to come around the rocks and express how alluring he found her, he didn’t. Hearing the slight panic in her voice, he suggested that he sit on the rocks.  
“Why?” Sara sounded completely confused.  
“Because, I want to talk to you,” Jaal explained, “but I know you don’t want me to see you.”  
“Oh, Jaal,” her voice was sad now, regretful, “I’m sorry. If you want to take it ba-”  
“No, Sara, I don’t mind. We will learn a way forward together, Pathfinder.”

Sara shivered at the tone in his voice. Authoritative, in control. A perfect balance to her more scattered, anxiety-ridden feelings. She left the water slowly and stood in her bra and shorts, ringing out her tank top. Feeling brave, Sara sat on the rocks in the sun, allowing her shirt to dry and spoke with Jaal, each of them on the rock, but on opposite sides, simply spending time together. Jaal was right in the middle of a story about when he and Evfra were younger when he said quickly, “Sara, are you dressed? Reyes is coming.”  
Sara pulled her mostly dry tank top over her head and gathered her armor. She stepped around the rocks, holding her armor almost like a shield, and looked at Jaal. Everyone seemed to be heading back, ready to return to Kadara Port, so Sara walked back to the Tempest flanked on one side by Jaal and Reyes on the other. Reyes spent the walk back chatting with Sara, intentionally engaging her in flirtation. But it was Jaal whom Sara couldn’t stop thinking about. She must have answered well enough, but her mind was on Jaal. She wanted to thank him, but not while Reyes was there.  
Jaal was in the techlab when Sara found him. She had changed into comfortable clothes, and walked barefoot into his space. He was shirtless again, causing Sara to bite her lip. She moved forward and touched his arm, gaining his attention. Jaal took a deep breath, looking at Sara, before sitting down and pulling her on top of him. He began to run his hands through her hair, but Sara grabbed his hands, so large and different from hers, and set them on her hips. He squeezed her soft flesh, and she leaned back. Slowly, not hesitantly, deliberately, Sara set her hands on Jaal’s skin. Closing her eyes, Sara ran her fingertips over Jaals skin. Every brush with his skin brought different sensations.

Jaal watched her face. She looked as though she was listening to some internal music. When she ran her fingers over his skin, her touch delicate, goosebumps broke out over his skin, and she could feel it. She smiled. It was quiet enough that Jaal could hear her breath and his own. Then she slowly worked her way up to his flaps, running her fingers along them, causing him to gasp and rock his hips forward. Gripping her hips, Jaal pulled her closer to him, nestling his growing hardness into her crotch, burying his face into her neck and breasts as her fingers began to run tracks down the back of his head. Jaal’s hips rocked again, a reflexive movement, while he left wet kisses along Sara’s collarbone and breasts. Nibbling, sucking, and groaning, he couldn’t help himself. She was so different from angara, softer, more flexible, his hands began to surf over her sides, coming to rest just under her breasts. Those were incredibly different from angara, and Jaal longed to see them uncovered. He knew he would wait centuries if need be to see her completely nude. He didn’t care. He would wait.

Sara felt him beneath her and she was wet. She rolled her hips against his, grinding down against him as his hands gripped her then caressed her, finally settling just under her breasts. As Jaal licked and sucked at her throat and breasts Sara let out a low groan, trying to press herself even further into him. Keening with desire, rolling and pushing against Jaal, Sara felt him lift her up, as he spread his legs before he settled her, his hand dipping into her bottoms. She went still, feeling his thick finger pressing against the seam of her body, slowly separating her lips with slow, methodical sweeps. Jaal drew his finger closer and closer to her clit, circling the nub, causing Sara to moan his name.  
“Yes, Sara,” he groaned, as Sara worked one hand down his chest, pressing it between them, finally brushing her fingers against the top of his sweatpants. She was throbbing, wet and keening, and she slipped her hand down, over the fabric, to cup him, feeling his girth. Palming him, Sara knew in her core that she needed this man. Finally, she put her hands on his chest and took his hand from between her legs. Seeing the evidence of her arousal on him, Sara couldn’t help it, she drew his finger into her mouth, licking him clean, while watching his eyes. Seeing the heat, Sara kissed Jaal, hard. Then she began to move.

Jaal felt Sara shift, moving herself down to a kneeling position between his legs. She drew his pants down, seeing him completely unsheathed, his viscous precum beading up. Looking at Sara, Jaal was astounded when she licked him, from base to tip, teasing the head of his cock. Sara wrapped her hand around him, and gave a pump, watching him. Jaal wrapped his hands around hers, guiding Sara through the teasing motions needed to bring him pleasure. His eyes closed as she took over, the motions bringing him closer and closer to his release. Then he felt her mouth close over him, her tongue swirling around him while her hands worked. He forced his eyes open, watching her bring him closer, ever closer, to the edge. Jaal made a noise like “stop,” and Sara lifted her head from him just in time. He didn’t know if he had said for her to stop, but as she sat back on her heels he erupted. He watched her watching him as he came. His fluids pumped from him. He grabbed a rag, cleaning up, and lifted Sara to her feet.  
“There was no electricity.”  
Her voice surprised Jaal as much as her words. It was soft, quiet.  
“No,” Jaal agreed, “I thought perhaps that would be...too much.”  
“Huh,” Sara didn’t say anything else, just stood.

Suddenly, Sara felt incredibly tired. And embarrassed. She suddenly wanted to hide, and not think about what had just happened between them, but somehow she didn’t think Jaal would let her just leave. Luckily for her, Lexi comm-ed her, requesting she come down to the medbay. It was late, but Sara kissed Jaal on the cheek and headed to Lexi, leaving Jaal in alone in the techlab.  
Lexi wanted to talk medications, what she could do, how she could help, but the answer came back as usual. There was only a finite amount of assistance that Lexi could provide, and none of it was really going to help with her weight. To her credit, Lexi didn’t want to simply foist more medications or procedures on her, but wanted to find outside ways to help. Nevertheless, feeling defeated, Sara made her way back to her quarters. She was dejected, stopping to scratch the pyjak, and sat on her bed. She was still there, having sat and stared at the galaxy outside for several minutes, when Jaal came into her room. She didn’t question why he was there, she figured it was one of two things: he was either there to break up their new relationship, or he was there to sit with her.

Jaal moved Sara around, getting her to lay down and covered her up. Then, quietly, he sat on the bed beside her, grabbed a data pad, and wrapped an arm around Sara. He tucked her in, snuggling her into his chest and kissed the top of her head. Then he began to read: “In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose…”


End file.
